Butt hook



E. E. C0 N- APPUCATION H. D MAR. 28, I922. 1,4Q,3. Patented Aug. L 1922.

I 7 7 fl) 6 Qt I INVENTOR.

BYQ I 3 m 8 ATTORNEY EVA n. cocnnan. or LOIDI, CALIFORNIA.-

aziness.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922..

Application filed March 28, 1922. Serial No. 547,376.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, E A E. COCHRAN, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Lodi, county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Impr vements in Butt Hooks; and i do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this applicat'ion.

This invention relates to improvements in butt-hooks such as are used in log hauling; operations in the forests, and which are connected to the ends of the cable leading from the hauling engine.

The cable is passed about the log or tree to be hauled, and the hook is then engaget with the cable so that a slip-loop around the log is formed.

Since the cable is not always taut, some means must be provided to prevent the cable from becoming disengaged from the hook when any slack occurs.

dome such means have, as: I am aware been attempted, but to my knowledge and from personal observation all such as are now in use are unsatisfactory for the reason that they are so constructed as to be readily engaged and interfered with by the numerous obstructions, such as twigs, small limbs and the like which are always present in a forest and which cannot be eliminated without undue work.

The principal object of my invention therefore is to provide a butthoolr which is provided with closure member for the hook-opening so arranged that while it may readily be opened intentionally to place or withdraw the cable it cannot be so opened by any obstruction which may project into the path of movement of the hook, but will on the contrary hold all the tighter when any such obstruction bears thereagainst.

Another object is to provide a closure member for hooks of this type which may be easily manipulated to open or close the same with one hand, and which when once opened will stay open when the hand pressure is removed so as to allow the free use of both hands to make the necessary connections with ease and dispatch.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means'of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal ot the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the hook, closed.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the hook opened. i

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan of the hook and closure member taken on the lir'ie 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the hook and closure member showing the tongue and groove joint formed therebetween when closedf Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes in general the hook having an eye portion 2 in the usual position with relation to the loop portion 3 of the hook, the free or outer end of this loop being as usual spaced from the eye member.

Projecting from the face of the eye 2 on the side of the hook portion 3 is a lug 4 in which is pivoted for movement in the plane of the hook, one end of a closure member the outer edge of which is curved radially with respect to its pivotal pin 6, and is grooved as at 7 to lit .a similarly curved tongue 8 on the end of the hook member 8. The length of the grooved portion 5 of the closure member is such that when the latter is moved to close the hook opening the outer end of such portion will lie substantially flush with the outer edge of the hook por tion 3, while the inner end abuts against the main hook portion 1 adjacent the eye 2.

To hold the closure member in that position when desired I provide a pair of flat plates or catch members 9, mounted in opposed relation on the opposite sides of the member 5 and normally countersunk therein. These members are pivoted intermediate their ends in the member 5 as at 10, and their inner ends project beyond the inner end of said member 5 and are notched inwardly of or facing each other as at 11 to engage opposed recesses or grooves 12 cut member 5 therebetween'and acting on both the catch members simultaneously.

The contacting faces of the catch members 9 and hook 1 are so shaped with respect to each other that the catches will automatically spread apart when pressed against the hook with a closing movement of the member 5, so that to lock the closure member it is not necessary to manipulate the catch members by hand.

In order to facilitate manufacture and assembly, the member 5 is made in two parts,

' abutting along the upper edges of the catch plates 9, and held together by means of screws 14', which may be removed at will and the parts inspected or replaced if necessar l rom the foregoing described construc tion itfiwill be seen that when the closure member is latched in position, a transverse blow thereon will not dislodge the same,

since the tongue and groove connection of the closure member with the hook prevents any such movement. Neither will the pressure of a projecting obstruction against the depressible end of either of the catch members serve to release the closure member from the hook, since such a pressure on either one catch, while releasing that one from engagement with its hook recess, will compress the spring .13 and cause the latter to act with still greater force on the other catch member to. hold the same latched with the hook. At the same time, when both catch members are simultaneously depressed by the hand, the closure member may instantly be swung open.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the ap ended claims.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to catch members for latching the closure member to the hook in a closed position.

2. A butt-hook including with a hook member, a closure member for the hookopening movably mounted to the hook, a pair ofopposed catch members pivoted intermediate their ends in the closure member and lying with their outer faces substantially flush with the outer faces of the oppositesides of the closure member, said catch members at one end being formed to engage sockets cut in the hook and being adapted to be manually depressed at the other end to disengage them from the sockets.

3. A butt-hook including with a hook member, a closure member for the hookopening. movably mounted to the hook, catch means adapted to engage the hook pivoted in the closure member and lying substantially flush with the outer face thereof, spring means acting on the catch means to hold the same in engagement with the hook, and means whereby said catch means may be depressed into the closure member and the engagement with the hook will be released.

4. A butt-hook including with a hook,

member, a closure member for the hookopening movably mounted to the hook, pair of opposed catch members for latching the closure member to the hook in a closed position, and means whereby a disengaging pressure exerted on one catch member will act to force the other'into firmer engagement with its co-operating member.

5. A butt-hook including with-a hook member, a closure member for the hookopening movably mounted to the hook, a pair. of catch members mounted on the closure member and adapted to engage the hook when the, former is moved to close the hook-opening, said members being pivoted in opposed relation, and spring means acting on both said catch members to cause them to remain in engagement with the hook.

6. A butt-hook including with a hook member, a closure member for the hookopening movably mounted to the hook, a pair of catch members mounted on. the closure member and adapted to engage the hook when the former is moved to close the hook-opening, said members being pivoted intermediate their ends, one of such ends being adapted to engage the hook and the other end to be depressed to disengage the first named end from said hook, and a single tension spring acting on the depressible ends of the catch members to hold the opposite ends of said members in their hook-engaging position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EVA E. COCHRAN. 

